Ebola virus preparedness

Saturday, November 01, 2014 12:28 PM

CMS and CDPHE working closely on physician education

by Kate Alfano, CMS contributing writer

The 2014 Ebola epidemic is the largest in history, affecting multiple countries in West Africa and impacting countries around the world. National, state, and local public health officials are actively monitoring the situation and taking precautions to prevent the spread of Ebola in the United States.

To help prepare Colorado physicians for a possible case of Ebola in the state, the Colorado Medical Society hosted a webinar on Nov. 4, “Ebola Preparedness in the Outpatient Setting.” CMS targeted outpatient physicians following direction from leaders who felt that education for this group was lacking compared to their hospital-based colleagues.

All physicians – member or non-member – were encouraged to participate in the hour-long presentation and question-and-answer session with speakers Tamaan Osbourne-Roberts, MD, CMS president; Connie Savor Price, MD, chief of infectious diseases and medical director of infection prevention at Denver Health and Hospital; and Lisa Miller, MD, state epidemiologist. The on-demand webinar is available online for CME credit. Go to tinyurl.com/cms-ebola-webinar to access it.

CDPHE Executive Director Larry Wolk, MD, MSPH, discusses Colorado’s Ebola preparedness efforts with CMS physicians.

Since the first case of Ebola was diagnosed in the U.S. in October, CMS has been working with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), the Colorado Hospital Association, the Colorado Nurses Association, the Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials, and others to prepare and implement a state plan.

“By working closely with all of our health care partners, we are helping to ensure Colorado’s preparedness for any potential Ebola virus exposures. Indeed, it is by coordinating efforts throughout the health care system that Colorado best can prepare,” said CMS President Tamaan Osbourne-Roberts, MD. “Together, we will make every effort to inform providers and the public on policies and procedures to contain the Ebola virus, if necessary, in order to maintain the health and safety of Coloradans.”

CMS has pledged full cooperation and support to the Office of the Governor and to CDPHE. The society strongly supports the department’s goal of making sure that public health, health systems, health care professionals and other partners are prepared to recognize a potential Ebola case, to halt its transmission efficiently and quickly, and to protect frontline health care providers.

Physicians are asked to take the following steps with every patient encounter.

Ask

• Ask whether the patient has visited Sierra Leone, Guinea or Liberia within 21 days, and
• Ask about symptoms consistent with Ebola Virus Disease.
• Ask everyone, every time.

Isolate

• If both criteria are met, isolate the patient in a single patient room (with private bathroom) with the door closed.

Call

• Call hospital leadership, and
• Call CDPHE at 303-692-2700 (after hours, 303-370-9395). Also notify CDPHE of any patients reporting exposure to Ebola, even if they have no symptoms.

CMS physician members received the first Ebola communication on Oct. 15, which gave guidance on detecting and responding to a potential Ebola case. This same communication was sent to physician practice managers through the Colorado Medical Group Management Association and to practice managers through CMS’s LiveWire e-newsletter. CMS created an Ebola resource page at www.CMS.org that is continually updated with new federal and state resources. All Colorado physicians, regardless of membership, have access to this resource page.

Also on Oct. 15, CMS and CDPHE issued a joint statement with CHA, CALPHO, and CNA. Osbourne-Roberts answered media questions at a press conference called by Gov. John Hickenlooper on Oct. 21. Mark Johnson, MD, a public health official who will soon begin service on the CMS Board of Directors, represented CMS at a legislative hearing on Oct. 23.

The CMS Board of Directors gave priority attention to the issue at its Nov. 14 meeting and approved the formation of a board advisory committee on Ebola.